Mirrored Tomb
by PestilentialCommunion
Summary: During a raid in siren territory to steal advanced technology, Belfast is mortally wounded in a sudden counterattack. Awakening weeks later fully healed, her pleasant demeanour hides her covert mission to discover the truth of how she survived that the official reports have hidden and decipher the meaning of the strange flashbacks she encounters.


"Convoy on approach. Final weapon checks."

Even before the commander spoke over the coms, the kansens were busy. Guns were silently loaded with shells of a thousand differing specialties. Legs tensed, strength building in coiled tendons to sail across the waves. A thin layer of radio static clouded the air, innumerable details pertaining to distance, wind direction, and force disposition. Behind the cover of long destroyed wreckage, they lay in wait, quietly following every word over the radio.

The droning of anti-gravitational jets swept overhead and their lengthy shadows cast themselves over the rust-coloured camo-netting they'd set up overhead. It didn't hide the mutters around them or their channels. Belfast closed her eyes for a second, opening to watch the low-flying craft slowly disappear past her sight.

Edinburgh was breathing in and out rapidly, one hand shaking as she ran through the supply of armour piercing shells for what she'd counted as the 35th time in the last hour. There were no traces of her humorous clumsiness or whimsy; her eyes were cold and focused and the rigging around her body quietly whirring as it maintained itself. Sheffield had little to say, casually spinning a hand-cannon in her hand. It was more for Edinburgh's sake than her own; steel looked back into the head maid's eyes. Even behind the bang that covered one of her eyes, her sister's cat-like gaze was unbowed in its intensity.

"We have visual from drones. PDA's out, start picking targets."

Belfast pulled out a small black device, flicking on the screen as an overhead view of the approaching convoy enlarged on the screen. Against the dark blue, they were a shade of smoky grey and black. Smooth and plated, their vessels seemed of a time more distant than their own with the harsh angles of their armour and the strange red glow like lava veins peering behind their dour colours.

Like sheepdogs herding livestock, smaller but no less deadly shapes surrounded them. They were humanoid in structure but that was where the similarities ended. These pale wraiths were dwarfed by the vessels but everyone here knew the sirens were even deadlier than the kansen. Their skin was a faded white colour; white marble obscured by industrial grime but the yellow glow of their weapons gave it an unearthly liveliness. Angular and almost bestial, like gigantic nautiluses or stingrays, they swept the ruins with gun-mounts of their rigging, eager for slaughter.

Belfast's hands tapped on a few of the escort ships surrounding an enormous block-like transport vessel. It looked to have at one time been one of their Queen-type carriers, normally comprised of two lengthy runways on top of dense metal bases connected by short bridges. They had been fused into a singular long slab of reinforced metal with prow like a blade. Red circles with x's in their middle, making it for bombardment, and she instead clicked on there other vessels; three knight-class cruisers flanking the side of the convoy. Each tap of her finger marked an orange circle around them crossed out with an x.

"One minute left. Remember the attack order."

The battleships, monitors, and battlecruisers would commence with a long-range bombardment. She and a few other teams would strike immediately after the first shells hit. Air cover and production model backed teams would then intercept enemy backup.

Belfast switched to a separate drone feed, watching the entire convoy from the furthest distance. They looked like a funeral procession, surrounding a gigantic casket, past the bowed heads of blackened mourners. Only from behind those solemn shapes would come genuine misery for the sirens.

Edinburgh finally seemed satisfied with the innumerable times she'd opened up, re-inspected, then closed the twin barreled armour piercing guns on her side, leaning forth to rest her head against Sheffield's. Their eyes were closed and their words quiet, joined quickly by the head maid.

"We went through the training simulation more than any other team. I know I can count on you every bit the same you do for me." Belfast's voice murmured over Sheffield's calm words. "Both of you. It's always the fight of our lives but each time, we prevail."

"Of their lives, not ours. The siren bodycount's not getting any lower each time we're out." A cocksure voice interrupted Sheffield over her coms before she could speak and she sighed. "Say, wonder how much their funeral homes make; we must have single-handedly tripled their yearly gains."

"Wales, wrong channel." Belfast rolled her eyes but her smile was infectious; Edinburgh and even Sheffield found themselves chuckling. "I was hoping Hood would keep you occupied… or Eugen."

"Postponed for after debriefing. You're welcome to join." They could all hear someone giggling over the battleship's ever smooth voice and it wasn't Hood. "Anyways ladies, we've a job to do."

"30 seconds." The commander's voice cancelled the niceties and the three sister-ships moved within the husk of a massive Bishop-class siren battleship. Thin slivers of afternoon light descended through shell-holes of sorties longs since passed. The vessel's internal components were scattered and brittle but the Town-class cruisers carefully moved over loose fragments and rickety internal machinery; there was no guaranteeing the ghostly escorts wouldn't hear them even over the sound of their approach.

They had been inside the wreck before and had further weakened the rusted and overgrown plating. The rifts in its integrity were hidden under the coral and barnacles that had long since overgrown this safe passage. The sirens had stopped seeing it as a potential ambush point years ago when it was clear the Azur Lane would be unable to bypass their radar scans and heavy patrols. Still, they were an experienced enemy; out of habit they were very carefully scanning the surroundings.

Thankfully, recent developments had given them an edge on sensitive details concerning troop movements and the shortcomings of Crimson Axis radar tech. Even better, it had given them the location on a very important package, one that the Sirens wanted back in the safety of their bases and away from the various Eagle Union, Eastern Radiance, and Royal Navy forces that had been relentlessly hounding it for a few months.

"10 seconds. Come home with the prize everyone."

Belfast looked towards her sisters. Sheffield as usual replied with her stern glare, moreso for the effect of steeling herself, and Edinburgh had put on her most resolute expression. She smiled at both and nodded, taking a deep breath as she waited for the roar of the opening barrage.

"Let's see how well they prepare the main dish." Belfast winked. A short time later, a monstrous roar shook the waves and rattled metal. A concerto of devastating cannon fire sounded: Washington, Hood, Pennsylvania, Prince of Wales, Massachusetts, Duke of York, and Monarch all sounded off in a singular thundercrack barrage. A chorus of wrathfulness and flame combined into a single volcanic roar, shaking the three light cruisers from their armour-tough flesh down to their reinforced bones.

The sirens snapped to attention and began to rapidly disperse as the frames of their production model vessels groaned in protest, forced to violently change direction at a split second. Their reflexes and training met their limits at the end under a hail of burning bright bolts. One towering rook-class battleship suffered a trio of direct hits, its deck crushed inwards by the sheer force of the impact. Iron groaned before a deafening explosion sheared away its command tower and nearly all of its cannons, leaving a desecrated and unrecognizable hulk behind.

The others fared worse. A bishop class heavy cruiser was nearly bisected by two armour piercing shells. Three retreating rooks that split from the front disintegrated behind a blossoming inferno of high explosive bombardment. A few knight classes that had broken away early crunched and shattered as two of them were ripped apart from within by an additional rain of shells, both ends of one particular vessel violently forced upwards into a twisted "v" shape before delayed fuses erased the metal mockeries in a fiery sun.

However, their own pale-skinned kansens were much faster. They'd scattered the second they heard the whistle of the falling shells but in doing so, drew close to a no less lethal threat.

A siren explorer banged its shoulder against a rusted hull, calling to two other fleet members over the carnage but paused suddenly. Something flickered in a gap in the wall, reflecting the glow of burning ships. It paused for a moment, squinting before it cursed. It took only a second longer for Belfast to strike. Metal burst outwards as three cruisers rammed through the derelict barrier, fragmenting metal and dust covering their wake.

The first siren stumbled backwards, nearly toppling over as its hydrophobic flotation mechanisms struggled to accommodate for the sudden force crashing into it. Belfast's hand grabbed its head, forcing its face away and its hands flailed, smacking against her sides. Her free hand raised to block a blow from its left weapon, breaking the force against her own elbow. Before it could swing again, Belfast further increased her own thrust and smashed the back of its head against the back of a partially sunken knight cruiser, drawing a roar of pain and dazing it momentarily as the metal cratered from the impact. The impact rocked them both, jerking its fist back and causing the shark-like weapon mount to jerk back as well. Belfast ducked, the swing barely missing her cranium before she opened into it with a full barrage, letting the recoil push her backwards as her cannons detonated its torpedoes in a fiery explosion that tossed the siren to the left, rolling from the force.

Now armed with only one weapon, the siren's intent wasn't any less murderous. Cradling one arm, it directed the floating weapon to fire at full speed but Belfast was hot on its heels. She weaved to the side, the sides of her turrets grazed by its wild spray as she fired even her AA-guns into its body. It tried to fall back but Belfast was faster. Ducking and sliding under the red-hot barrels, she grabbed the piscine weapon for stability, swinging upwards and sliding behind it. There was a *CHE-CHUNK* sound and the siren howled in protest, feeling something sharp puncture its weapon from its psychic bond. Before it could break free, a burst of strength tore the weapon out of its invisible grasp and a sharp, piercing pain erupted in its stomach, sheer strength shoving it backwards as the pointed tip of the weapon dug through armoured flesh and through her back, impaling her to hull of the knight cruiser hard enough to make the whole thing rock.

Growling from behind gritted teeth, it commanded the very weapon now embedded in its body to move, gritting through the pain and glaring with pure hate at its foe. It was only when it noticed two jutting shapes in its peripheral vision that the fire in its vein turned to a petrifying coldness. Belfast raised her wrist, two small barrels zeroing in on the torpedoes she'd stabbed into the weapon. A small crack of gunfire later and the combined violence of high explosive charges, undetonated knight munitions, and energy cells erupting tore both the cruiser and her siren prey into shreds in a volcanic blossom of flames. A charred waist and two legs flopped forwards, the vague semblance of a spine emerging from flash-cauterized flesh.

Edinburgh's hair whipped by her head from the force of the blast as she unloaded a volley of armour-piercing shells into the dense body of a massive oceana-type siren, tearing out chunks of its dense lower body. She weave left, dodging massive spreads of iridescent purple shells detonating behind her, drawing closer and closer as she exploited gaps within the shells spread. The deadly craft began to pull back, shifting its cannons but Edinburgh watched closely, weaving about to stay in line with the fire gaps. She paused sharply, legs spread and braced as all eight of her torpedoes launched. The bulky oceana banked hard to the left as its hydrophobic repulsors pushed into overdrive. The torpedoes however had closed in too quickly, digging into the nautilus like body out of which a titanic geyser-blast emerged and ripped through spalled armour. Its cries went unheard from the sheer volume of the blast as the malformed alien toppled backwards, helpless and consciousness fading.

Before she could finish it off, high pitched whine rose in volume amid the carnage of raining shells and bombers flying overhead. A series of blue flashes caught the periphery of her sight and Edinburgh's eyes widened. She turned just in time to see a linear barrage of blue bolts and cried out Belfast's name, ducking before the laser-accurate fire could score a hit other than singing the sides of her smokestack. Turning her head, she saw a now dented plate torn from a wreck fall to the water, Belfast releasing her makeshift shield as both turned their eyes to Sheffield.

The shortest of the three cruisers had fallen onto her back, scrambling away and barely missing the sweeping volley but she was anything but unprepared. The siren explorer's gun-arm smoked hot but she hadn't fired a full salvo. Neither had Sheffield, pausing to re-orient her weapons towards the target. One of the cruiser's side mounted torpedo launchers turned to face upwards and spat out one munition and she- immediately grabbed it. She cocked back her arm back and tossed it forwards, immediately drawing one of her hand-weapons and firing a single blue shell. The ensuring blast sent out a massive wave of force, staggering the explorer and momentarily draping the area in smoke.

Through the smoke she dashed forwards, dashing and ducking the broad swing of the arm cannon and peppering the huge cannon with strafing gunfire. Flames and sparks erupted from its massive bulk as Sheffield cut her boosting, letting inertia carry her as she opened up on the explorer's sides. Up close even her lighter weaponry cut deep, two rounds even tearing directly through the alien aggressor. It swung its cannon around again and activated another salvo. Blossoms of fire exploded across its body, throwing it off balance as its own munitions ignited and Sheffield took the opportunity. A concentrated barrage of gunfire slammed into its legs, dropping it onto its back. The siren jolted by the pain zeroed its auxiliaries onto the fast-approaching brit only to cry out as an armoured boot smashed into its ribs, drawing blood from its open wounds. Sheffield's smoking hand-cannons jammed into its face and spoke twice, answered by a violent twitch of its limbs.

"Sharp as ever dears, back on me now." Belfast called out, summoning her two sisters back to her side as they began advancing towards the massive converted carrier. Thick black smoke bellowed around them and the heat swamped the air oppressively. They could still feel the vibrations in the water from the sustained bombardments happening not far off. Occasionally, a siren fighter would crash nearby. Time was of the essence and so was organization. "Edinburgh, would you mind checking on the other assault teams? Sheffield, eliminate any remaining auxiliary turrets on the carrier."

A tortured screech of twisting metal turned their heads towards a bishop type battleship, the one good barrel on a partially bisected turret slowly turning to face them. Belfast sighed and her guns spat twice, blasting the weapon clean off the vessel.

"Pathetic. These insects are still squirming." Sheffield muttered, quickly preparing another batch of shells. She patted Edinburgh's shoulder; the bespectacled light cruiser had darted around in front of her sisters, her guns having immediately zeroed in on the target. "Slacken a little Edi, don't need you dead-eyeing your screen."

Belfast smiled and patted her as well; she had improved much in the days leading up to the mission. "You two keep an eye on things, I'm going to check with command and artillery."

As they split for their respective tasks, Belfast activated her communications array, focusing it to a private channel. "Hood, Wales, the sirens went down smoothly. Edinburgh's checking on the other assault team, Sheffield's securing the target. We should have it fully secured soon so do prep for 'lockpick' team if you can. Not too quiet out there I suppose?"

"Oh the usual. They sent a rapid response team but a barrage or two solved that. Might be a few pesky fighters your way though I don't suppose they'll last long. Dreadfully plain for such a vital mission." Hood replied, calm as ever. Belfast smiled; she had a way of calming everyone's nerves even in the most heated of battles and it wasn't just her fearsome cannons.

"We'll owe Akashi a year's worth of pay in cash and catnip alike. I've had a laugh or two overhearing Sirens crews yammer about ineffectual coms. Now if only we could mass produce these jammers. Hang on-" The thud of Prince of Wales' auxiliary guns momentarily drowned the airwaves and distant blasts could be heard. "… Ahem, as I was saying-"

"Tsk, a bit sloppy today?" Belfast sighed at the syrupy voice that interrupted them. Of course _she_ would say that. "After all those hours you clocked for the training drills I was hoping me and Wales wouldn't need to be watching for flanking attacks."

"Not the time Eugen." Wales interrupted. She audibly muttered something to the Metalblood, answered in a harsh and hushed tone.

"Oh it very much is; just how many of their escorts made it past you?" Her cannon sounded off and Belfast could hear a resounding thud, a loud one. Something really did get that close to them. "I was told our job was to intercept assistance, not flan-"

"Can you shut the fuck up for a second _Pringles_?" Another voice barked over them, somehow undistorted by the roar of a main gun barrage. Prinz hissed something over the coms. "Because in case it wasn't clear enough, encirclement was *technically* our job so if you could help me cut off the MINUTE level of stragglers?"

"Yes, thank you for keeping things on track Washington." Belfast smiled; she was a rough one and maybe a little bloodthirsty but the American had proven herself reliable. Wales shouted something to the ever-critical German cruiser but their guns drowned out any potential eavesdropping.

"Lockpick should be arriving shortly. I advise both vanguards get warm and comfy." Hood replied. She sounded warm as ever, amused even by her compatriots. A hint of a giggle tinted her words.

"On the itinerary. Belfast out." Turning to the wreckage around them, Belfast took quick look around her. Thick smog from the flames, deformed wreckage, and a quiet tension. They'd really made a mess of the convoy in the timespan of maybe six minutes.

"Nice and slow, a little to the ri- Bel, quick grab those munition canisters before… oh, they're empty, bless us!" Edinburgh's constant piping should've been annoying but Sheffield and Belfast couldn't help but giggle. Their little-older-sister had really taken to the task of preparing the perimeter, taking utmost care to turn a scene of seemingly random carnage into a presentable circular defensive formation. The other assault team, consisting of Wichita, Cleveland, and Ayanami, had come out of their engagements unscathed. They'd proceeded to help their Royal compatriots with moving the wreckage of the vessels destroyed and derelict into a sort of circular barrier.

It must have been strange to watch from the drone feeds especially for a civilian. These tiny humanoid figures were moving enormous metal shapes by themselves but the strength of a kansen belied their femininity. Even Ayanami's strength was nothing to scoff at. She'd tied a chain through a gaping wound in prow of a pawn class destroyer and was tugging it along to park against a few half-submerged wrecks. Wichita on the other hand was pushing her shoulder against a burning wreckage of an enormous rook, adjusting it so the specialized production model containing the lockpick team could move through.

"Cleveland, can you make some holes in that freighter husk? Wichita, take a break and restock would you? Gosh your guns are still smoking, cool them in the water! Ah, now's a good time for-" The chittery cruiser jumped up and shook at a sudden weight on her shoulder, scrambling to catch her glasses as she heard a giggle from behind. Belfast's hand hovered a few inches away, not realizing the bespectacled boat was that on edge.

She took a moment to readjust the glasses, pouting and mumbling before she straightened up. Her grumpy expression told Belfast all. So did the how the teasing smile replied to the shorter maid. "No need to lecture, my nerves are still running a little hot. You should be as organized here as you are back in on the palace grounds."

Edinburgh scratched the back of her head and looked away, tempting Belfast to lean around and peek at a blush. "Ehehehe, just the combat high, I'm feeling more attentive than ever. Everyone's depending on it. That ambush…"she paused to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "It was over before I knew it. I was expecting so much worse but… but that siren crumbled so quickly."

Belfast looked down at her cannons and dress. Subtle scorch marks could be seen on their edges, staining white, silver, and blue with minor streaks of black. Her older sister had done a risky move, one that required as much courage as it did honed reflex. She hadn't seen Edinburgh herself in that vital moment but the it didn't stop the pride from quietly welling.

"I suppose you'll be teaching me a thing or two about dodging and assaulting tactics soon no? Master Edinburgh," She stressed the pompous title, pushing a finger up to adjust imaginary glasses. "… Has a nice ring to it."

"Oh stop it you, first thing I'd do is put you on janitor duty for the docks!" she grumbled, brushing away Belfast as she always would but the younger maid couldn't help but try and lean around her. Edinburgh shifted and sailed off but she could see a cheeky, giddy smile barely hidden under her white bangs.

"As you command ma'am. HUT!" She threw a salute, catching Edinburgh glancing from the corner of her eyes. They couldn't afford to fool around too much of course but the jittery light cruiser had come a long way since their first few sorties together. She might not have had the charisma but her sheer skill in battle, honed from years of frontline combat, made her a viable command candidate to the rest of the Town class cruisers.

Sailing back to the centre of their defensive emplacement, she looked to see a large light cruiser sized vessel making its way towards them. It wasn't one of their military production models with its particular design features showcasing a sleek modern form defined by its lengthier prow and smoothly angled structures sitting above its baseline. It carefully moved through a path Ayanami, Cleveland, and Wichita had cleared beforehand through the wreckage of both recent and older siren vessels and stopped just short of touching the enormous carrier vessel. Their coms crackled with static.

"Lockpick to all teams. We've docked at the target and cargo extraction is underway. Expect it done in a little under an hour. Keep us safe until then." The crisp male voice instructed. A chorus of acknowledgements sounded over the radio.

"Edinburgh to Encirclement, is it all quiet out there?"

"Thankfully." Hood's crisp voice responded. "Reconnaissance planes and radar haven't picked up anything suspicious, nor have intercepted transmissions. They're not expecting the target to reach the port for some time. By then, we'll be gone."

"I don't suppose there's time for a refreshment or two." Belfast pulled out a small plastic wrapper and tore it open, softly crunching on the nutrition bar over the radio.

"Really now? The head maid is showing some concerning disciplinary issues." Sheffield, incisive as ether, turned a cat-like eye to the head maid, drawing a cloying wink in turn. "We've established a defensive perimeter and exit routes. Sending details…" Flipping open her data-pad, she thumbed over a few displays and tapped a few icons. "There. When it's time to go, smoke shells on our signal at the areas marked in red. Covering fire afterwards as we fall back. The sirens won't know what hit them."

"Hey, sorry to ruin whatever tea parties you might've planned but there's an anomaly with the weather." Everyone paused momentarily as Washington sent out a digitalize update. "Briefings didn't tell us shit about this."

Belfast narrowed her eyes and looked over at the others. Sheffield nodded before turning to Edinburgh, whispering into her ear. Wichita and Cleveland exchanged looks and nodded.

This knee deep into siren territory, it was concerning.

"It would be hasty to jump to conclusions everyone; trust me, I worked with the sirens before and even they've had to sit through poor weather." A few murmurs passed after the Ironblood cruiser spoke. "The meteorological readings, Commander can you bring them up?"

"Sent. I've been checking as well on my end; it's an abrupt development. Storm clouds were seen inland but they were fairly minor. Yet it appears they've reappeared here sometime within the last three hours." Calm as ever but Belfast detected the focused cunning of his, the sort that he used to hide moments of doubt and uncertainty.

"Eugen, was this the same as back then? The weather was even more erratic during that operation." Wales spoke and Belfast shut her eyes for a second, breathing in. "Sirens didn't really keep detailed weather charts you said."

"There was little point with the rapid fluctuations. For all their smarts and technology, they treated it an amusing oddity. But let me see…" For all her apathetic airs and lackadaisical nonchalance, Prinz Eugen was a well taught and trained woman. She was Bismarck's left-hand woman for some time.

"In the meantime, Lockpick, could you rush the extraction or even destroy the package quickly if circumstances demand it?" Hood asked, her cannons clunking as they loaded in new shells.

The sound of droning saws and hissing blowtorches sounded for a few seconds until they realized a voice partially drowned out by the sound. Static crackled over their coms. "-And we don't know if… ugh, some kind of interference inside the ship, connection shorted for a second. We can but there's components here unlike those we've studied and we're not sure what the demolition charges might do. We're learning as we go but we should be on time."

"Wonderful, the freak weather seems near randomized day to day. Sun, rain, snow, and heavy fog… the gods are playing dice." Eugen sighed into the conversation. Belfast noted how rare that she lacked her usual charm. "I hope you don't mind possibly a few showers."

"I'll have to keep you all nice and warm then." Wales spoke, much to the gawking and groaning of Edinburgh and Sheffield respectively. Belfast cut her coms abruptly before she had to hear anything else from the two lovers.

A few of them grumbled but Belfast ruffled both their heads. "Come now ladies, get the rain hoods out. Not that different back home isn't it?"

* * *

"I'm not liking this." Sheffield peered through the holes in one of the rearranged wrecks. "The weather isn't as ruthless as I feared but this is too convenient."

A quiet unease had settled on to the fleet of six. Adrenaline once coursing through their veins had dulled with the passing of time and the dour clouds quietly having settled overhead. They were not a pure dark blue but almost a kind of sickly yellowish green, matching the now uncleanly skies above. Small droplets of misty rain fell, barely pitter-pattering against their hoods but the air had become blurred, severely hampering their sight. The sound of grinding metal and buzzing torches sounded out with intermittent reports from Lockpick on progress.

"What's with the static and interference on the drones? Akashi tested them and EMP didn't stop them. This weather shouldn't even register." Edinburgh was tapping her handheld as static began to dance over the screen and its feed began to stutter. They had tested it under worse conditions but the light pattering against their plasticine hoods shouldn't have done anything to them.

Belfast's calm demeanour sharpened to a quiet battle-ready tension. The sirens were still not well understood but could they be the cause behind this? All these destroyed ships housed alien technology much of which ran on alien principles indecipherable to even the brightest of minds. With Akashi running her own communication jammer meant to interfere with those of the sirens, amidst a battlefield of shattered warships, Belfast suspected that this might be an unintentional side effect. She tapped into the coms again.

"Lockpick, are you picking up anything else unusual in there? Unusual electronic signals or transmissions?" She asked and waited, the static fuzz and droning of the equipment answer hovering over the air. Crackling and scratches fluctuated in pitch and soon the jarring buzz of cutting equipment and men shouting joined the cacophonous fray.

"The security programming on the containment chamber is acting up but it can't have been from the shelling." The engineer's voice was partially obscured behind the static and Belfast had to strain to hear. "Too well protected. It's trying to activate an emergency protocol but we've severed a few wires; it's just going berserk as we're opening it and I think that's causing the problem. It's shooting out signals but they're weak and fragmented then being destroyed by the jammer – nobody will be receiving them."

"And the package? All that noise is nearly worse than this static." Belfast inquired, lowering the volume slightly to get away from the monstrous droning.

"The laser-cutters are starting to struggle; we're rerouting some power from the ship to keep them firing but we're over halfway and have visual confirmation of the package. Roughly three to eight minutes until we're through, give or take." The pitch of the electric buzzing rose even higher and the maid winced audibly. That was a good sign; she could hear reinforced metal falling and clattering to the ground. The sirens were determined to keep their treasures.

From the corner of her eyes she saw Sheffield and Edinburgh turn their heads to her, mouths open to interrupt but she raised a hand to hush them. "Excellent, the fast and finesse win the race. Make ready for exfil ASAP and let the home base know we'll be requesting that three course dinner piping hot."

"Affirmative ma'am. Keep the waters clear for us." The line closed and Belfast immediately turned to her sisters. Edinburgh was biting her bottom lip with excitement and even the stoic Sheffield was pleased, the ghost of a smile hinting on her features.

"Well, Bellette's shepherd pies are waiting for us. For fragrant filling and flaky crust, I stride forth to battle." Sheffield stated in that signature deadpan of hers, twirling one of her guns in her hand. "I didn't spend a whole evening with Sirius cleaning those messes she made for them to amount to nothing."

"Don't be so dramatic Sheffie, you wanted to ruffle her hair when she squeaked about trying harder. Clenching her fists and staring at you through teary eyes; such a dedicated little helper." Edinburgh nudged the stoic cruiser's side as her rigging-mounted gun barrels bobbed up and down. This was responded with a shove and a hmmph, Edinburgh sliding across the water as she giggled.

Belfast turned away to head back to her defensive position. Cleveland had cut out a few holes with a few modified construction tools and glanced over her shoulder as the cruiser approached.

"Before you ask, all quiet on the siren front. Infra-red, x-ray, cube-detection – we're still in the clear." She passed a pair of large binoculars to the maid but paused for a moment. "Crunchy tart, lemon flavoured, little hungry here."

Belfast gingerly removed one from a hidden pocket and flipped it off of her thumb and Cleveland scrambled to grab it. The binocular slipped from her hands and the maid leaned forth to peer through the hole. The vast ocean changed from a dark purple to a ghostly white to a negative colouration but each time, nothing happened. She could see a few shapes distantly; Encirclement silhouetted far off in the distance in orange, blue, and black respectively but no signs of hostile reinforcements.

She knew there was no reason to be nervous. They had barely fought for any more than maybe 25 minutes at most but something this important shouldn't be or rather didn't feel like it should be so easily accomplished. The real answer was cautiousness. Fighting the sirens was never a straightforward affair as the hunts for Bismarck and Tirpitz had demonstrated.

The minutes ticked by with only the light patter of the rain and the occasional idle word exchanged between the cruisers. It was a short wait really and Belfast found her mind wandering to the home port. The cheering support staff, her fellow maids and the buffet trays they would be wheeling, the commander's smile and busied orders…

She sighed as a burst of hazy static sounded off in her ear. Thudding, crashing, screeching; all good signs as more of the containment module had fallen apart. In fact, had the entire thing been dealt with? Turning on the com however, the first things she heard was chaotic shouting and sparking. Someone was screaming about the medical kit and wild curses in the background.

"Lockpick, do you need assistance? What's going on in there?" She asked, hearing the team leader's voice panting and yelling at his colleagues. She looked around and the rest of the team had tensed up, murmuring amongst one another nervously. The package had to be secured but the sheer intensity of whatever was happening was concerning. Was this mission going to have its first casualties?

Something audibly fired off inside like a gun and the sound echoed violently followed by cries and shouts. A resounding thud made her ears feel like they shook and she closed her eyes, trying to listen over the torturous sounds of chaos and violence.

"Lockpick to Belfast, Lockpick to Belfast, this-" The team leader paused and growled angrily. Something heavy and metallic clanked close to the speaker. "We're moving. Tell everyone to move, multiple casualties, something went off on the security and underneath the ship! Our readings, they're going off of the charts!"

"Lockpick, repeat, is the package secure? What readings?" She asked. Immediately, the channel was filled with chatter and the issuing of orders all around her. This couldn't have been a mistake. Had they fallen into a siren trap from the start?

"Power surge from the ship that detonated one of the drills! We're pulling out the wounded and the package but we didn't properly cut off the bonds!" He paused and Belfast heard a pained cry followed by rabid gurgling. "The computer systems lit up and a signal started bouncing off of them. Our scanners started picking up communication signals, not from one of our channels. We… no, it's an ambush. They're coming fro-"

Even before he had finished weapons had been readying but that couldn't prepare anyone for a flash of light and a sudden wash of static that overwhelmed the audio. Feeds were forcibly cut and looking up in the sky, a pair of burning drones suddenly fell to the water. All around them, the water began to glow and pulse like flashlights under a dark blue blanket. A sickly purple emanated from beneath, glowing from massive orb that had been sparked beneath them. Above, lightning danced above thickening clouds in serpentine roots flashing for brief, terrifying moments.

Before anyone could do a thing, a familiar resounding of cannons answered the infernal mayhem. Gunfire sounded off and all around them; short snarling cracks against roaring reverberations. A massive counter-attack had materialized all around them and neither the encirclement nor assault teams had the time to deal with the ship.

Belfast raised her cannon immediately and fired a burst of high explosive shells aimed at the silhouetted figures rapidly travelling through the swirling mist. Cleve opened fire with every weapon with the flashes of her barrels blinding against the reflective metal surface they used as cover. Explosions blossomed before them and forced the fog away to reveal production models and humanoids alike advancing relentlessly. Some were blackened by blasts and even keeling but retreating was not on their mind.

"Assault to encirclement, situation report now!" Belfast shouted as she spun away from the cover. A barrage of massive purple energy pulses slammed into it and blasted it wide open. She swivelled around to stick her turrets past the opening, firing a barrage wildly into the approaching enemies and heard the shells faintly crash against a few sirens. Given the volume of the report, they were close. "Encirclement, requesting barrage at approach to my position, sirens closing in!"

"God, did the bastards just play us? How in the world did they materialize that many under our noses?" Washington yelled then howled, the sound of torpedoes exploding at close range interrupting her. "Smart fucking move asshole, see you in hell!" Belfast didn't need to have her cons on to hear whatever unfortunate soul had been blasted atoms. Washington was powerful and a veteran but her bloodthirst could be distracting.

"Monarch here; enemy ambush numbering at least one hundred and thirty rapidly approaching from all sides. They desire this region as another ship graveyard; I'm willing to grant that wish." Disdainful as always. Monarch's irritated tone sometimes was annoying but here it was one of few forms of relief they had. She looked off into distance to see a rain of massive glowing blue shells descend on a group of rooks escorting a queen and turn the area into a blinding blue flash.

"Bastards are trying to jam us themselves! Commands spouting fragments over the static and I can't get to Lockpick either. Something about air support, limited – that damn lightning's going to shoot them down!" Pennsylvania shouted, adding the sound of her own cannons firing a sustained barrage.

"Calvary arriving along with a barrage. Illustrious and Ark Royal will be sending their regards to these vermin." Duke of York hissed. A streaking meteor rain barrage flew outwards in front of Belfast and slammed into the approaching sirens, burying them in blossoming flames. She thanked her quickly. Those two carriers were able of feats best described as magical being able to create protective barriers and cause enemy vessels to slow down considerably. Both skills however required them to be closer to the action and lasted only temporarily.

"Can anyone get to lockpick?" Belfast asked as she ducked and dashed over to Cleveland's side, shots whizzing just inches from her body and glancing against her turrets. She looked back to the massive carrier the huge hole in it and noticed it was starting to sink. Bloodied human forms were being carried out by stumbling compatriots, their faces locked in grimaces of agony and effort.

"Go help lockpick, I'll cover! On my mark… NOW!" shouted Cleveland, popping out from behind an increasingly pockmarked, hole-ridden ship hull. Each of her piping hot guns sent rapid-fire onslaught that sent assembling wave of sirens scrambling away.

"Belfast to encirclement, moving to the package." She called out before aiming a pair of smoke shells between her position and the massive sinking ship. She didn't need the Sirens trying to snipe them out.

Dashing through the smoke, she emerged to see the ship groaning and gradually tilting from the rear. The sound of creaking metal and sloshing water emerged like a pained animal's groans. Connecting it to the transport vessel was a walkway bridge, one that looked like it might snap if either ship shifted too much. Looking to the actual transport vessel, it was shaking precariously. A few of the crewmen stumbled on the landing ramp as she approached. One man carrying another over his shoulders stumbled to the side precariously close to falling.

Immediately Belfast slammed her shoulder against it, stopping it from tilting forwards and moved both her palms against it. She sucked in air, arms tensing as she pulled her guns back and steadied the ship. The sound of rapid footfalls and shouts of additional assistance responded.

"Belfast, lockpick lead here, the package is stuck, we need you inside!" A man with messy black hair and oil streaked against his face yelled at him from the mouth of the hole. "There's another hole around the corner made during the initial barrage."

Belfast nodded and immediately got moving, finding the hole gaping like the mouth of a seaside cavern. Enough of the ship had sunken she could sail inwards but soon, her feet touched the metallic floor. Retracting her rigging, she sprinted up ahead, following the sound of engineers calling her name. The rising water was following her slowly and quickly seeping through the walls, making it trickier to run on the gradually slanting surface.

She arrived not too far from the same gap the bridge was mounted against, held in place by clamps that were tearing into the metal and leaving deep wounds into the floor. Around her heavy rubble smashed into the ground and stray wires sparked wildly as if welcoming her. A team of engineers was trying to push a huge rack of shells and a half-burnt bulkhead off of a dark container. One of them looked up and called to the others to make room.

"We can't lift it on our own, weighs tons." One of them grunted before getting up to make space, stumbling as the tortured structure of the vessel beyond to crack and screech. The whole thing lurched and shook as a stray shell smashed into its interior, detonating stored munitions and fuel. The explosion rocked the whole ship and she pressed a palm against the wall to steady herself, grabbing one of the navy engineers before he could fall. Water could be heard sloshing underneath them and a few parts of the ceiling were resting precariously, ready to fall at any moment.

Belfast wasted no time and released the disoriented sailor, pushing off the wall and digging her heels into the ground, literally tearing it up as her armoured heels sunk into the metal. Kneeling as she got a hand under the rubble, she waved at the others to move away as her gloved hands gripped the rack of enormous shells. Inhaling, she pulled it up and shoved it away. It slid down the ground, splashing into the water. Another huge chunk required more effort but immediately, the others began to help however they could. Crowbars and gloved hands alike pulled and lifted anything they could, sending it clattering and rolling to the water and Belfast could quickly began making out a long, rectangular shape contoured on its top surface and rigidly flat on its sides.

Noticing a few handles on its side, Belfast grabbed them with both hands and with a great pull, dragged it out of a collapsing, caving pile of wreckage. Immediately, the crew gripped the other hand and began to lift. Heavy for them but they'd carried it quite far before bad luck struck.

"We'll take it from here Belfast, you go back to the fleet." The team leader saluted quickly, grabbing a handle and grunting as he helped to lift it onto the bridge. More men rushed out into it to steady it. Belfast waited for them to clear about halfway to their vessel before walking across it. Grabbing the handles, braced her legs to jump. They could start evacuating soon.

The tormented vessel they had just escaped from sounded off again but something was wrong. She paused and turned her head, and gasped for a second. Her skin pringled suddenly, hairs standing on their end, and she looked to see her arms shaking and rigging locked into place. A tightening sensation crept into her head, forcing her eyes open, snaking down her nerves.

"Belfast? Belfast what are you doing? We need to retract the ramp."

She exhaled, not realizing her breath was being held and turned to the crewman. The smoke she'd laid down was dissipating and her body felt tight and stiff even if her limbs could move again. Throwing back her arms, she nodded and smiled, bracing her legs.

Then that same purple light from before amplified again, brightening intensely directly underneath the converted carrier. She paused for a second as purple streaks of power began to crackle beneath them before turning to the crewman. "Get moving, I'll be guarding the flanks!" Immediately she tapped into Encirclement. "The package is secure, begin falling back! Smoke, barrages, and coordinated fire patterns, effective now! Go!"

The ramp shuddered before a massive explosion rocked out of the depths of the vessel and ripped open a huge chunk of its midsection. The ramp gave away and Belfast fell to the water, hydrophobic resistance making it feel like solid ground smashing against her side.

The pain jolted the last of the stiffness out of her body and she pushed off, panting but ready. Immediately the transport vessel began heading away and the coms were alive – massive barrages began firing on those trailing them and those trying to block. Overhead attack aircraft swept low above the clouds, avoiding the eerie lightning as they strafed hordes of sirens with machine gun fire, dropping bombs and some even launching missiles. The world seemed to be a hellish maze of flame as the shockwaves caused the waters to crest hill-like and jerk about wreckage and warship alike.

Gripping her side, she began to follow suite on the retreat when that same gripping stiffness and stunning petrification returning. Her jaw tensed instinctively and she willed her weapons to move, straining and groaning against some unseen force causing her to resist her own mental command. With a cry and a grunt, her once stiff arm shot around and she cried out in confusion, throwing her body around roughly and whipping her hair about in her face. Turning her head about, she froze when she saw the figure emerging from the fire.

* * *

Behind the white locks a black shape lay, silhouetted against the now rapidly sinking wreckage of the enormous vessel she had just escaped. A long white ponytail fluttered in the wake of blast-force waves and when Belfast looked closer, black steel highlighted with a warning yellow outlined a predatory shape. A broad black head, curving fins, a long tail, and four lengthy cannons – Belfast found herself pausing and the world momentarily pulling away. A droning static began to fill her ears, sectioning her off from the world as the illuminating glare of the siren Purifier met hers.

Her smile slowly widened and the sound of weapon systems charging began to layer itself beneath the sound of the surrounding mayhem.

"Belfast, where are you!? We just detected an energy spike you need… oh no…"

Someone was yelling, screaming, shouting out the code for the event of a siren leader. Her gaze grew stern, the freezing tension broke and Belfast shot away just as a barrage of blue bullets launched her way and burnt holes through the hull of the derelict vessel behind her. Her engines burned against her body and she weaved left and right.

"Assault to Command and Encirclement, visual of the Siren Purifier in pursuit of us!" A crackling buzz set her nerves on edge and muscle memory caused her body to spin and dash to the left. Just in the nick of time as a blue-white beam as wide as a knight-class cruiser shot forth and disappeared off into the distance. She felt her skin tingle and heat up as the radiating power scratched and bit at her through her own reinforced body.

The Purifier still smiled as its pale skin grew paler under the radiance of the beam. The energy feed cut out and she laughed inaudible over the bombardment around her. She was fast, much faster than the massive hammerhead shark machine she rode seemed as it smashed burning wreckage from its path. Bullets and bombs slammed onto her and jerked the machine and its rider back and forth yet her speed remained concerningly high, her taunting cockiness morphing into barely contained bloodlust.

"I never imagined you royals to have the same guts the eagles did! All the easier to catch! I'll enjoy repurposing you for spare parts maid!" Her laughter cackled and cut through all other sounds, resonating and echoing in the back of Belfast's head. The world momentarily went from rushing fast to a drowsy trudge. More yelling over the coms but as she tried to focus all she heard was monotone mumbling as if whoever was messaging her was trapped underwater.

She wanted to grip her now aching head as the echoes grew louder and louder, eyes nearly shutting from the intensity of her concentration. It's only when she saw the prow of a sinking rook jutting out of the water that she found herself jolted back awake, twisting away but not fast enough. The right branch of her rig slammed against it and the impact spun her around, whirling the battlefield into a haze of indefinite shapes and colours.

She'd been through this before; don't try to turn around, go in reverse. Glancing through dizzied eyes over her shoulder she looked over her shoulder before she pitched left, dodging a stray blast of oceania shots and exacting a grim satisfaction as they exploded in front of the purifier. Her own guns zeroed into the purple blast plume and fired all 12 barrels wildly into the blast. Her right side however shook from the earlier impact in conjunction with the ringing pain in her head. While the rigging wasn't a part of her humanoid body, it was a part of her ship-self and the rattling instability sent a few shots wild and landing short of the target.

Both assault and encirclement teams were within her sight. They'd moved quickly but they must have missed her when they began their retreat. Production models and siren kansens were trying to catch up but a furious barrage of retaliating fire was tearing deep rends through shattered formations. Yet many of them were trying to divert themselves towards Belfast now and away from the royal-eagle killzone. It was roughly 1000 feet away to her allies. The space between them was being converged on by a fast moving force of pawns and knights that had split from the force trying to surround her allies. The last thing she wanted was to manoeuvre a maze of metal in this condition.

"BEL! Bel, they're closing in from all sides and we're detecting more signatures manifesting! We can't hold out for long!" Edinburgh's voice cut through the pain.

"Launch a barrage or bombardment on my approach path now! Any battleship or carrier!" Belfast shouted as she unleashed a row of torpedoes at the purifier, dashing forth in a burst of speed. A large group of pawns were trying to match her speed but perpendicular to her travel path, they began to form in a series of criss-crossing line patterns. She cursed as she saw a few large rooks moving amongst them escorted by knights.

"We can't afford to accidentally catch you in a barrage Belfast. We're sending Wichita, Cleveland, and Ayanami to punch through." Hood replied. "I apologize; even our volleys can't seem to hold them all back; they're advancing with no sense of self-preservation."

"There's no time Hood!" The first few destroyers neared and their guns attempted to depress fast enough to catch her. Belfast spun and twirled, barely dodging a few streams of gunfire. Just as she stabilized enough to look ahead, a trio of burning knights advanced in a trident towards her travel path. She wasn't sure what they were trying to do; they weren't even firing.

That's when it dawned on her; the flames were billowing out from within, not from on top of them… right from their munition racks. Their formation broke and spread so she'd be caught between them, closing in to catch her in their combined and expanded blast radius.

"IMPACT IMMINENT, Illustrious, I need shiel-" Agony penetrated into her side as a stream of concentrated laser stabbed into her side. Belfast screamed as the force pushed her forward and off of her feet. Her body slammed against one of the knights. A massive explosion ensued and tossed her forwards. It was not fast enough for the flames to engulf her and her body collapsed, falling face first to the waves and skidding to a stop.

Her eyes closed for a brief second and her eyelids trembled tight. Her head shook and body ached, feeling lacerated and torn by a thousand hungry mouths. She could smell the acrid smoke and feel the flames surrounding her, carried on by pungent oil. Her eyes forced themselves open and her hands pushed herself, shaky and uncertain, from the water's surface before she stumbled. She had sunk in partially but she wasn't specifically sinking; the hydrophobic generation of her body at least was holding up but it would not be for another attack like that.

Raising her head, trying to accelerate away, past the horrid wreckage she saw a row of ships one after the other, stretching back the way she'd just came. A row of them all missing huge chunks of their armour. There was a hole in each one and all the way through this tunnel of melted armour, a hungry yellow gaze bore into Belfast. She was completely ecstatic and Belfast couldn't help but be eerily entranced by the mixture of malice and cruel amusement burning from within.

"That's my sister dammit! There's time, we just need to divert a few! Cleveland, Wichita, Ayanami, on me, we're going in!"

Who was talking, shouting, and screaming? She could hear multiple voices but each one seemed a thousand times louder, shaking her from head to toe, shattering her cognitive processes into a thousand little shards. She tried stand and then realized that her engine-function was struggling. Another sound joined the fray; an enormous and threatening clang and thudding impact. The ships in front of her were being fractured and split open as the hammerheaded purifier rigging began closing in on its prey.

"Hull damage, gah, that one cut deep! Commander, we need orders now. They're closing in on both of us and that last attack jammed my main! Switching to auxiliary!"

The flames were raising higher and hungrily dancing across the oil. A few of these fiery trails were spreading towards her. She turned around, expecting the wreckage of the knight cruiser to meet her but saw more fires. The heat was slowly sapping her strength with her weakened armour now feeling its painful caress. Gritting her teeth, she ambled forth with whatever speed she could get.

"I don't care if we lose half a whole flight; we're not leaving her there. Illustrious, I'm ordering you to launch now. Ark, you focus on that siren."

THUD THUD THUD. Certain doom was nearing and the amplifying volume of each ramming only forced Belfast to try and wring more out of her tortured engine. She focused momentarily; getting a feel for the amount of munitions left in storage. Down to half; she could feel a few rattling in the dimensional bubble linked to her cube. Looking down at her hands, she noticed that her anti-aircraft guns were misshapen wrecks of twisted barrels and crumpled bodies as if smashed by a hammer.

"The rooks are getting too close, we won't be able to interrupt the next few barrages! The transport vessel's taken a severe beating, multiple casualties!"

She could hear enormous portions of those ships being torn off from the impact. Belfast swung around and aimed her cannons, firing half of her remaining shells.

A creaking mess of a bishop erupted into flames. Its defeated form continued onwards and Belfast forced her body to dash to the left. Her feet gave away and she stumbled onto the waves, watching as it crashed into a husk of a knight cruiser, coming to a slowly decelerating stop. She pushed herself up and opened her coms, feeling the static kick into her ear and voices momentarily grow deafening.

A yelp escaped her throat as a hand clenched around the back of her neck. Confused shouts and conflicting orders sounded out. Belfast flew, airborne and struck with a sense of vertigo before her body smashed against a metallic hull. Her eyes shot wide and she groaned, her back at once intense and numb. Her hand smacked against the water and she felt the warmed, oil-slicked waves reach up to her wrist before stopping. Three of her guns creaked; one was just a misshapen scrap heap.

A burst of blue laser shots slammed into her shoulder and her eyes shot wide open. Belfast howled out in pain as blood and smoke emerged from the wound. Her guns shook and slacked as the pain overwhelmed her ability to control them. Black spots filled her vision yet the demon grin of the purifier stared through her agony and summoned apprehension.

"I love it when they play hard to catch you know? They always send me to merely mop the floor with your kind… but finally, a challenge!" The metal against her back shifted as if living and irritated, tossing Belfast's body skidding against the water. The siren's smashed into her stomach and stopped her. Belfast coughed and cried out, doubling up against the water now sinking up past her cheeks.

"Oh you're that maid from then right? I saw that battle of yours. How exactly did a fragile light cruiser like you hold out so long against Scharnhorst even after our upgrades? I'm not Observer but I'd love to study that. Alas, the orders are absolute. We will do so in another life I guess."

The enormous shark-machine swum back to its master, lowering itself so she could hop on board. She grabbed the main dorsal fin and wordlessly it reared up serpentine, its glowing yellow maw aimed directly at Belfast. She turned her head to see pulsing blue arches jumping within is maw.

Four streaks of deep red flashed for a split second and the beast-rigging was sent reeling by a massive blast. It spun around on its belly to face the new threat as round after round, torpedo after torpedo, and buzzing aircraft overhead descended upon the brutal alien leader. She would've made a taunt if not for the concentrated salvo slamming into her.

Near delirious, Belfast summoned all the courage and determination she'd ever known, pushing off against the water again. She felt like her elbow bones were going to fall apart before she was lifted upwards and two shoulders pressed up under her arm.

"Bel, oh my god, what did she do to you…" Edinburgh mumbled on Belfast's right. Sheffield to her left raised her guns and fired at the production models circling them. "We're getting you back, hold on!"

"I'll make sure they suffer, those vermin." Sheffield shot off a quick burst of torpedoes. Belfast's eyes cleared as Edinburgh wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. There was a nasty gash on Sheffield's shoulder and she was bleeding from her stomach. Edinburgh's blue dress was a mixture of black and blood. One of her eyes was shut and she could see a major wound on her scalp, waterfalling red over her face.

Cannon fire erupted behind them, bolts landed dangerously close, and she could hear someone shouting orders. The sound of blades being unsheathed, iron clanging against iron, taunts and challenges – there were at least five combatants. At point blank, very few things could last for long against a battleship's cannon but she could hear thrashing and a massive body splashing against the water, creating waves that momentarily unsteadied the three wounded light cruisers.

A shout of anger, a body smacking against one of the burning wrecks, a thunder-crack blast. The battle was getting more and more desperate. Someone was screaming and yelling at the others to go for the tail. The siren's voice; screeching in anger, madness, or some joyous combination of both. Someone grunted and roared before their voice was silenced by the sound of bones crunching.

That's when a sound like a waterfall sounded behind them and intensified in volume. Sheffield lunged forth, pulling Belfast along as Edinburgh turned and fired her torpedoes. Each one detonated, deforming and cracking armour but the shark-machine smashed into her. She was violently pulled away without even time to scream as she hammered its head with her bare hands, pinned against the water and fighting to stay alive and afloat.

"I'm almost moved! Your backline taking the lead just to save one slightly-more-skilled vanguard unit? I wish Observer was here to gather the data." The purifier was right behind them and Sheffield whipped around, firing point blank into its torso. The explosions stunned her and pushed her back but a spinning kick sent a heel right into Sheffield's stomach, sending her sprawling across the water. Blood trailed behind her and Belfast feared she wasn't moving as she stumbled onto her back.

Rolling onto her back, she fired again and again, shots peppering the Purifier's side. One smashed against her head and scorched her head and she angrily growled. Like a panther she leapt and landed next to Sheffield, smacking the gun from her hand. Grabbing her neck, the short maid was off of her feet and found herself gasping for breath as her windpipe contracted.

"I only planned to kill that stupid white haired harlot you were so busy bleeding over there because you are just so aggravating, I think I can settle on you too." Her lecturing voice only drew Sheffield's ire, glaring at her from her blood-red face. Her spare gun aimed at her head but the siren tore it away, veins bulging on her arm. Sheffield's glare intensified as she jabbed, kicked, and jabbed at that arm and her body with blows that would've pulverized the strongest human yet only bruised the aquatic tyrant.

Sheffield's blows began faltering but the siren released her, knocked off of her feet as Belfast rammed shoulder first into her stomach and sent them both to the water. A fist raised and smashed into a pale-skinned skull again and again. Knuckles cracked and the sadist's hydrophobic functionality caused the purifier's head to bounce against the water, right into blow after blow.

Her fist raised again, this time aiming at the neck. Belfast went flying then as the massive tail of the shark slammed against her back and sent her sprawling across the waves.

Getting up with a bloodied face, the siren grabbed the topmost fin of her weapon and pulled herself on-board. Gone was her smile of bemusement. Even the eyeless machine seemed infuriated with the cracks and fractures across its head resembling glaring eyes. No retort passed her lips as the cannon-mouth raised its head and shuddered with charging power, particles energizing and gathering within.

Belfast couldn't see that. Oil, blood, and sweat clouded her sight. A familiar ringing sensation was coursing through her; no, it was the one from earlier. She knew it was from whatever the source of the sudden locking of her body was yet it didn't grip her veins and tighten her nerves. It was slowly letting her rise, caressing her tired form. All she could see was a gathering of bright light directly in front of her like a small star then blueish-white and blue and red blurs swinging out of the left side of her sight. All she could see was a distant battle cry, a roar of defiance, a sound like a furnace activating.

All she could feel was the piercing intensity in her belly. She couldn't feel that even; her nerves had a wracking pain but was it really pain? It seemed so far away just like the beam connected from the yellow tunnel to her body – an echo of something physical and real yet so removed from the situation. The water around her was so warm… she felt weightless, as if a part of her had been removed and a warm current was running through her almost comforting in its heat.

Belfast's head fell back to the waves and the echoing voices began to diminish. Her eyes closed and she found all sound in the world quieting and then too, leaving for far away.


End file.
